THE DRIVE: Nuclear option; Heels vs. Zags; 11 dead in Russia

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is headed for confirmation; North Carolina faces Gonzaga; a bomb in a Russian subway kills 11; and more headlines for your drive home Monday, April 3, 2017.

Staff Report

'NUCLEAR OPTION' COMES INTO PLAY

WASHINGTON  A deeply divided Senate panel favorably recommended Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch on Monday, sending the nomination to the full Senate for what is expected to be a partisan showdown  and eventual confirmation.

The 11-9 committee vote for President Donald Trump's nominee, strictly along party lines, came shortly after Democrats secured enough votes to block the nomination in the full Senate. But that Democratic success was virtually certain to be a short-lived political victory, as Republicans vowed to change Senate rules using the "nuclear option" to put Gorsuch on the court and score a much-needed win for their party.

END OF THE MADNESS

It's the rookie vs. the blueblood tonight as Gonzaga aims for its first national title against five-time champion North Carolina during the men's basketball nationship championship game in Arizona.

The game tips off at 9:20 p.m. Eastern and will air on CBS.

BLAST ON RUSSIAN SUBWAY KILLS 11

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia  A bomb blast tore through a subway train deep under Russia's second-largest city Monday, killing 11 people and wounding about 40 in a chaotic scene that left victims sprawled on a smoky platform. Hours later, anguish and fear rose again when police found and defused a shrapnel-packed explosive device at another St. Petersburg station.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which came while President Vladimir Putin was visiting the city, his hometown. In the past two decades, Russian trains and planes have been frequent targets of terrorism, usually blamed on Islamic militants.

BRADY JERSEY STOLEN AGAIN, THIS TIME IN FUN AT FENWAY

BOSTON  Tom Brady's Super Bowl jersey was stolen again  this time by Rob Gronkowski in full view of 37,000 screaming Red Sox fans.

The New England Patriots quarterback was waving the jersey around during the pregame ceremony on opening day at Fenway Park on Monday. Gronkowski ripped it out of his hands and ran around the infield before Brady chased him down and playfully tackled him in right field.

The Patriots said it was the same jersey that had been stolen out of the Patriots' locker room after their championship victory over the Atlanta Falcons in February.

FIRE CHIEF: 3 DEAD, 4 INJURED IN ST. LOUIS BOILER EXPLOSION

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Three people were killed and four others injured Monday when an explosion launched a boiler the size of a van through the roof a St. Louis box company and slammed much of it down hundreds of feet away in a neighboring laundry business, the fire chief said.

One person died in the blast about 8 a.m. at the Loy-Lange Box Co. and two more were killed when a large piece of the boiler crashed into the Faultless Healthcare Linen building's office area a block away, Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said.